Play the Game
by inkl0v3
Summary: Takes place moments after "A Night With Mr. Yang" left off. Juliet and Shawn soon find out that just because they caught the Yin Yang killer, her dangerous game might not yet be over.
1. escaped

**Play the Game**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**A/N:** The Plot Bunnies attacked! I have to admit, "An Evening with Mr. Yang" has to be one of my all-time favorite psych episodes. It was just so intense! And, there were just enough loose ends to spark some ideas in my head. So, enjoy this little story and remember that, no matter how much I want to, I don't own Psych… USA does.

* * *

I watched Shawn turn, walking out the door and out of my life. Giving a defeated sigh, I headed for the front entrance of the drive-in lobby area. I had to blink quickly to rid my eyes of the sudden coldness that comes with tears.

_Idiot._

Shaking my head, I pushed the front door open roughly. What had I been thinking? How could I have been so stupid? Cornering him like that? And after all he's been through today! What did you expect O'Hara?

I scowled, angry at myself for being so vulnerable; he wouldn't hold it against me, but what would happen the next time we saw each other? Had I been out of my mind when I had spilled my heart out to him?

I had to stop in my tracks, less than fifteen feet from the door, listening to the sound of my heavy breathing. Trying to get a grip on my flaring emotions, I closed my eyes. I couldn't fall apart like this, not over Shawn. Exhaling slowly, my eyes snapped back open; I had left my purse back inside the concession area.

Groaning, I turned to go back and get it… only to come face-to-face with Mr.—or rather, Ms.—Yang.

I let out a shocked gasp, losing my footing and almost stumbling over my feet. A wry smile came onto her face and her eyes lit up at my expression, amused at my fear.

"Detective O'Hara..." she chuckled, beginning to circle me, "…fancy meeting you here. Were you trying to spy on Shawn's date?"

"You're supposed to be in the back of a squad car." I spat, getting a hold of myself as quickly as I could manage. I tried to assess my situation as she spoke again.

"Yeah, I'm _supposed _to be, only there was something you little policemen forgot," she frowned at me. And then her arm shot out, and her fist connected solidly with my stomach. I fell to the ground, trying to suck in some air as I started to cough. She smirked. "…I wasn't done with the game yet."

* * *

The car was quiet as the movie grew more suspenseful. I glanced over at Abigail as she chewed on her straw, and smiled. I started to wrap my arm around her.

"Please, Shawn," Gus slapped my arm with the back of his hand, making Abigail turn towards us.

"Hey, ouch," I rubbed my arm, throwing a glare back at my friend, "What was that for?"

"You know my rules Shawn, no PDA in the company car!" he grabbed another handful of popcorn.

"Dude, you are worse than the vice principal at our junior high. Mr. Nathanson never slapped my arm off an attractive girl's shoulder!" I replied quickly.

Abigail laughed, sipping at her coke.

"You two are never going to grow up, are you?" she asked.

"Well that depends," I turned back to face her, "Do I still have a shot with you if I act like a ten-year-old?"

"Hm…" she narrowed her eyes at me, "That depends; what's the chance of you refilling my drink?" she thrust her empty cup out towards me.

"Oh that I can handle," I replied, "Mine's getting low too."

"Can you take mine too?" Gus asked, handing me his cup as well.

"Gus, what do I look like? A waiter?" I asked him. He shot me a withering stare.

"Okay, so I know we're not dating or anything," he replied, throwing a pointed look over at Abigail, "but still, we're best friends, have been since birth, and I let you call me all those weird names, so I'd like another refill of orange crush… _please_."

"Dude, take it easy," I told him, taking his cup with my free hand, "I was going to take yours too, there's no reason to get paranoid just because I have a girl and an innate ability to come up with witty names off the top of my head, Soda Pop Walters." He glared at me and I got out before he could throw any Necco wafers at my head.

* * *

I gasped in a breath of air, just when it had felt like I would never breathe again. As I looked back up at the deranged woman in front of me, she smiled wider. And then, before I could react, she had pulled out a gun. My eyes widened and I instinctly reached for my own holster before remembering that I had taken it off. I threw a panicked look down at my waist as my hand fished around in thin air for the weapon that wasn't there.

"Oh no," The killer made a sarcastic sad face, "What's the matter Detective? Did you forget to bring your gun?" she slowly approached me.

"Stay back!" I yelled, my voice breaking. My mind was racing so fast; I knew what I should do, but it felt as though I were moving in slow motion. And then the serial killer was there right in front of me as she leaned closer towards my ear, as if to share a secret.

"Don't worry, I won't cheat; I never cheat when I play the game." She smiled.

I saw her raise the gun up above herself before bringing it down in a fast swing that connected with the back of my head. I heard a sharp crack and felt myself reeling as my legs turned to jelly. My vision flickered between blinding light, and the quickly rising concrete, before deciding to go dark, and I was vaguely aware of her laughter in the background before I lost consciousness.

* * *

I strode towards the lobby area of the drive-in, a weary happiness filling me. The Yang killer had been caught, Abigail and I were finally together, and there were free refills; life was good.

But as I opened the door and entered the concession area, a shrinking feeling suddenly came over me.

_Jules._

I stood still for a moment, empty cups in hand as I relived the scene over and over again in my mind. She had been here, right in front of me, and what had I done? Completely disregarded her feelings for my date with Abigail.

I shook my head; I was over thinking everything and it was making me confused. I just came to refill our drinks.

Walking over to the drink machine, I started putting more ice into Abigail's cup before my gaze traveled to the counter. Juliet's purse lay forgotten there; she had probably felt too humiliated to come back and get it. It seemed as though even inanimate objects were ganging up against me to let me know how much of a jerk I was.

Then something cold spilled onto my hand and I cursed as I dropped the cup onto the floor, causing ice to scatter all over the lobby's carpet. I glared down angrily at the cup; so this is what karma felt like.

As I bent down and started scooping the spilt ice up, my gaze traveled to the front entrance… and I stopped, narrowing my eyes.

Slowly, I got to my feet and walked over to the entrance, reaching out and plucking away a piece of blue fabric that had gotten caught between the door and the door frame. My mind flashbacked to earlier; Juliet had been wearing a blue shirt, and a pretty good-looking one at that.

Raising my head, my line of sight shifted to outside the glass door, and my mouth fell open. Opening the door heavily, I staggered down the sidewalk no more than ten feet. There, clearly defined against the concrete, was a Yin-Yang symbol formed out of popcorn and Necco wafers, and, above it, a driver's license with Juliet's face smiling up at me.

I felt my stomach drop as if I were on an elevator that was plummeting uncontrollably to the bottom of the shaft. _The Yin-Yang Killer… how?_

I turned numbly, letting my eyes sweep the darkness of the line of trees that surrounded the sidewalk.

_There, in the dirt._ I kneeled down next to a small pathway that led into the trees, inspecting a spot in the dirt. _Someone was dragged through here, someone wearing heels._ My head raised back up as I tried to peer through the darkness; I had no choice, I had to follow the trail, I had to play her game.

* * *

Snatches of consciousness came to me, like static on a radio when you're driving through the middle of nowhere; An uncomfortably pressure on my wrists, my shoe coming off my foot, a malicious whisper, then nothing; Later, a stop in movement, a chuckle hidden under someone's breath, and the sound of snapping twigs, again fading away.

I wanted to fight, wanted to wake up, but couldn't. I hated being helpless; I was never a damsel in distress, no matter how crazy my attacker was.

What would Lassiter think? What would Shawn do? The thought made me want to smile, even when I couldn't.

* * *

_There, up ahead… something that wasn't part of the brush_. I pushed past some thick branches to reach a very small clearing. I had to stop dead in my tracks just to get a handle on what was happening.

Juliet, the sleeves of her blue shirt torn to expose her arms that were scratched from all the branches and bushes, was tied up by her wrists around a tree. She had a gag around her mouth and her head lolled to the side; she wasn't dead, just unconscious. There was something written on her left arm in what looked like permanent marker and I stepped closer so I could make out what it read.

"_The game has but one round left,_

_I've come for you but found her instead._

_I'm not interested in crimes like petty theft,_

_But if you ignore me, she'll be dead."_

My eyes were wide as they moved from the grim message on her arm, up to her face. Her mascara had been smeared, but what from? Had she been crying when the Yang killer captured her, or when I had walked back outside to join Abigail? Somehow, I couldn't picture Juliet crying at all.

And then there was a snap behind me and I closed my eyes. _You knew she was here, watching you. _Sighing, I turned around and opened my eyes to find the lady that had terrorized me all day standing there, grinning as if she were a little kid that had just been caught doing something bad.

"You came," she smiled wider, stepping towards me. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. "Why? Why did you come here without going to the police first?" she asked with a pout.

_Drat, _I bit my lip; _I knew I had forgotten something! _I threw a helpless glance back over at Juliet, and Ms. Yang took notice.

"Oh…" she sighed, knowingly. I spun my head back around to face her quickly. "…you came because of her…" she smiled before giggling and pacing around me. "Man, I really struck out on that one; quite a stroke of luck. I mean, I thought that there might be something there, but you had that date and everything," she shrugged, "Oh well, all's well that ends well."

"Let her go," I whispered hoarsely, my mind not functioning on all cylinders at the moment.

"Make me," She taunted, a glint of madness in her eyes. It was a trick, a trap, and I knew it; I still flew head-first at her, yelling angrily and attempting to pummel her with my fists.

It was all over so quickly; she had just to kick me below my knee to make me fall down, cursing and glaring up at her. And then, with a smile and a small laugh, she pulled me back up by my shoulders, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.

"You know, you're much more muscular than I thought you'd be," I choked out, black dots blinking around my vision.

"Why thank you Shawn, that's very kind." She smiled… while choking me. I gasped, not getting any air past my constricted throat; the black dots grew larger.

Suddenly I was on the ground, and the last thing I was aware of was Juliet, still unconscious and tied up, looking so helpless there by herself.

_Jules… I'm so sorry…_

* * *

**A/N:** uh oh… now they're in trouble! Still working on the rest of it, but I should be done soon (I am working on two or three other stories at the moment, so I'll post it as soon as I can). Review and tell me what you think!

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	2. captives

**Chapter Two**

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**A/N:** Once again, I don't own Psych… USA network does. Enjoy and review!

* * *

I moaned, my body slowly waking up; I felt groggy and the back of my head was throbbing. Opening my sticky eyelids, I awoke to a bad dream. I was tied up by my wrists to an overhead beam in what looked like an old, rustic barn. It was dark where I was, but a few beams of light escaped from behind a door over to right. Glancing down below me, I judged that the floor was about fifteen or twenty feet away.

"So, do you come here often?" a husky voice next to me asked. I gasped quietly, jerking my head towards my left where the voice had come from.

"Shawn?!" I whispered, noticing that the psychic was tied up like I had been.

"In the flesh-- which, by the way, is one of the creepiest sayings I have ever heard, if I do say so myself." He replied.

"What're you doing here?" I asked in a hushed, hurried tone.

"Oh nothing, just hanging out—what does it _look _like I'm doing here?" he whispered back quickly, "Come on Jules, you're a detective, you can figure it out. We're captives."

"The Yin Yang Killer…?" I tried to ask.

"Yeah, she got me." He hung his head before turning a wry look back at me, "But, in my defense, she is a _lot _stronger than she appears; I mean, it was like the Princess Bride back there, you know, when Andre the Giant gets jumped by Wesley, and then he gets choked until he loses consciousness, not even considering the fact that…" he started going off on a rant.

"Shawn!" I snapped, getting his attention, "how're we going to get out of here?"

"I've been working on that, sleeping beauty, while you were still unconscious, and I _think _I might have a plan—but the details are kind of sketchy." He explained softly, his gaze jumping sporadically around the barn's interior.

"Great," I nodded before biting the inside of my cheek, "Um… just wondering here," I gave a nervous laugh, "but, what are our chances of survival if this '_plan_' doesn't exactly… work out?" I asked hesitantly.

"Very slim. In fact, almost non-existent for you." He replied, his eyes still searching the inside of the barn.

"Oh." I shut my mouth tightly, biting my lips.

"Yeah, she'll be wanting to use you as an example, a message for the police, anything to keep the game going." He sighed.

"Ah, the game…" I dropped my head, blinking away a few pesky tears before they could escape my eyes. Why must I cry now? Shawn glanced over at me, warmth behind his own worried eyes.

"Hey, you think you have it bad?" he asked quietly, "At least you don't have some sick, deranged serial killer stalking you for fun. She'll probably want to keep me as some sort of… trophy, or something." He attempted a laugh that sounded more like a cough.

"You say 'trophy' and all I can picture is a hunting trophy, and maybe some creepy taxidermist like in Psycho." I told him. He turned to stare at me with a blank face. I bit my lip again; "Sorry," I whispered.

"No, no," he shook his head, blinking, "that's understandable; we _are _at the mercy of an antagonist from some horror movie here," he replied, returning to his search around the darkened shack. I watched him for awhile.

"Shawn," I spoke softly, getting him to turn and look back at me, "I really am amazed how you're able to stay so calm in a situation like this."

"_Calm?"_ he laughed tensely, "are you kidding? No, I'm scared out of my mind right now."

"But—" I started.

"If I act calm, then you'll be calm too; we don't need two hysterical victims here." I blinked as his eyes found mine, staring at me intently, "Although, in my mind, you are definitely _not _a victim_._"

I felt myself blush at his unexpected… complement? I guess that's what that was supposed to be. Suddenly, the sound of someone clapping in applause made us both look up, or rather, down, in sudden surprise.

Ms. Yang was staring at us with an amused look on her face.

"Well, wasn't that sweet?" she called up to us, fixing a nerve-racking stare on me. I squirmed, uncomfortable to be trapped by such a person.

"Um… aren't you supposed to be off somewhere, planning your evil plot or something? You're supposed to let us have a chance at escape; have you not read through the criminal's rulebook?" Shawn called out, much braver than I could ever manage.

"This is _my_ game… remember?" she grinned over at him, "And I guess you'll just have to improvise a little on your part. But right now, I wanted to have a little chat." She pulled up a stool and sat down ungracefully.

"Oh yeah, what about? Perhaps how I have a natural talent at sharing playful banter with crazed criminals?" he replied, his voice only slightly shaky.

"No, not quite…" she shook her head, bouncing her unruly hair around, "I want to set up the terms for the prize."

"The prize?" I asked.

"Yes; since you've actually given me a run for my money at my own game, I think it's only_ fair_ that we start placing bets." She replied, her eyes cold even though her tone was light. Shawn glanced over at me with uncertainty in his eyes before turning back to face the serial killer.

"Alright… what do you want?" he asked softly.

Ms. Yang's smile grew into a triumphant smirk as her eyes found me again. I shivered involuntarily.

"If I win… I want her." She pointed up at me, "I want her, and if I win I'm going to keep her tied up for as long as I want… until she's so weak from hunger and thirst that she can barely stand. Then I'm going to let her go, and give her a head start…oh, I don't know, maybe half an hour? You think that's enough?" she turned her eyes up to me. I couldn't keep her gaze, I had to look away. She laughed softly under her breath, "And then I'm going to play hide-and-seek; I've never lost, especially when I chase after the person that's hiding with a butcher knife…"

"That's enough!" Shawn cried out suddenly, startling me. I craned my head around to find him shaking, either with anger or fright, I wasn't sure. "It's my turn to say what we get if we win," he told her, a tremor in his voice.

"Alright," she nodded, closing her mouth calmly. Shawn took a few ragged breaths as he stared at her.

"If we win… then you're going to go away and get locked up in the tightest cell, in the heaviest-guarded prison, in the furthest away place possible," he replied, still staring deep into her eyes with pure hatred, "And you are never… _ever… _going to come back into my life, or- or Juliet's life… or my parent's life, or anybody's life… _ever _again." He finished quietly, staring down the killer, "…Is that a deal?"

Silence filled the barn, burning my ears.

"…Deal." Ms. Yang nodded, a determined smile on her thin lips, "May the best man win."

* * *

I was just finishing the file on Ms. Yang when I saw Gus stride into the police station, and, even though he and his partner had just helped to solve one of the worst cases we'd ever been faced with, I couldn't help but to feel slightly annoyed at the sight of him; I guess just an old habit. He saw me and headed right for me. I turned quickly and started walking the other way, but to no avail.

"Lassiter, hey Lassiter… wait up!" he called out, jogging over to me quickly. I kept walking.

"What is it? Where's Spencer? Aren't you usually following _him _around?" I asked uninterestedly.

"Actually, this does involve Shawn…"

"Great," I stopped, turning to face him, "Come back later; I'm sure he'll want to enjoy his time in the limelight."

"You don't understand," Guster replied quickly.

"Your friend just apprehended this city's most notorious and mysterious serial killer… I think I can understand wanting fifteen minutes of fame for that." I told him, remembering how good it had felt when I had caught Chavez.

"No, you _don't understand,_" he started again, perturbed, "Shawn's _missing_."

I stared at him for a few seconds before shaking my head and quietly laughing. He gave me a confused look, and I waggled my finger at him. "I get it; you two are joking around with me again." I suddenly stopped my laughter all at once and gave him a hard stare, "Well you look here Guster, it's not going to work this time." Then I turned and strode off in the other direction.

"Hey, wait!" he cried, rushing after me. I rolled my eyes, stopping again in my tracks.

"What must I do to get you to stop following me?!" I asked him loudly as he came in front of me, a worried expression on his face.

"Lassiter, I'm not joking here," he tried to explain, "Shawn disappeared—_while _on a date."

I glanced at his face, slightly more convinced now.

"Well, that is a little more suspicious…" I frowned, my brow furrowing as I looked the young man over again, "Was she ugly?"

"No, she wasn't." he told me sternly, disbelief on his face.

"How can you be so sure?" I lifted my chin and narrowed my eyes at him.

"Because I was there!" he stated.

"You were there? On the date?" I questioned.

"Yes," he replied, frustrated.

"That's… a little strange, even for you Gus." I told him before trying to plan my next escape route. All of a sudden, McNab came rushing over, as if he had just been attacked by a ghost.

"Sir… the Yin Yang Killer…." He gasped, leaning forward on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"What is it Rookie?" I demanded. He straightened up.

"She's escaped!"

My face went blank and, as I glanced back over at Gus, I grimaced to find an I-told-you-so look on his own triumphant face. "Crap." I muttered, knowing exactly why Shawn was missing.

* * *

"Okay," I whispered, peering up around the beam we were tied to, "Here's the plan…" I glanced down to make sure that Ms. Yang was still in the side room, "I'm going to swing myself so that I can catch that beam up there with my feet,"

"Uh huh," Jules nodded encouragingly, her eyes following my gaze.

"Then, after crawling on top of the beam, I'm going to work my way down to that far wall over there where all those sharp, scary-looking farm tools are," I motioned over my shoulder to a spot behind us where there were some old farm equipment was hanging.

"Alright," she replied, turning to glance at me, "Then what?" I turned to stare at her.

"Then I'm going to cut the rope tied around my wrists and get the heck out of here." I told her; she seemed to deflate.

"That's it?"

"What? Did you want some fireworks or something?" I asked, "Come on Jules, I'm not MacGyver or anything; this is about the best I can do, given the circumstances." I threw a hurried glance up at our bindings.

"Fine, fine…" she muttered, "Let's just get out of here."

"That's the spirit," I smiled faintly, glancing back up to the overhanging beam we were tied to. There was a spot right next to us where another beam joined with ours; if I could hook my feet around that, I could probably stand up.

Grunting, I started pumping my feet back and forth as if I were on a swing set, about to jump off and set a new record for the farthest landing. Juliet watched tensely as I pointed my feet out, aiming for the thick wooden beam.

My first try was overshot, my feet kicking the air futilely. Growling in frustration, I caught the next swing, just barely hooking my heel around the edge of the beam. Juliet let out a sigh of relief and I grinned over at her before working my other foot onto the beam.

I bent my knees to pull myself up on top the beam, managing to contort my body enough until I had my balance fully on the beam. Squatting, I crawled around onto the beam where my wrists were tied down to. Sending an encouraging nod over to Jules, she immediately followed suit.

She managed to snag the beam on her first try, and stood much more gracefully than I had managed.

"Wow Jules," I whispered, "I didn't know that you were a gymnast."

"Gee, thanks Shawn," she replied, rolling her eyes as she crawled around me, "but can we hold off on the sarcastic remarks until _after _we're free?"

"As you wish," I bowed my head, "Lead the way, m'lady."

We started crawling along the beam, dragging our ties slowly along, as we made our way to the far wall where a bunch of rusty farm equipment was hanging. It was a long process, as our bindings were tied fairly tight around the beam; it took plenty of arm muscles to slide them along.

"Look Shawn, about earlier…" Juliet suddenly started, "I-I didn't really…" she sighed.

"What is it Jules?" I asked softly, trying to tug my wrist-rope as best as I could.

"If I had known that you were on a date—"

"No, forget about it…." I huffed, "Perfectly understandable." I reassured her as I gave a giant pull on my rope, resulting in a few more inches gained in distance.

"Thanks Shawn," she sighed, gratefully this time, as she worked her way closer to the wall. I paused to catch my breath, a faint smile on my lips as I watched her.

"Did you really mean it?" I asked her, causing her to look up in surprise.

"What?"

"Did you really mean it, what you were trying to say to me back there in the drive-in lobby?" I asked again, no trace of sarcasm in my voice. She stared at me a moment longer before clenching her surprised mouth closed, averting her gaze off to the side where her eyes couldn't betray her.

"…yes…." She breathed, almost inaudible, even in the silence of the barn.

"What?" I asked again, blinking, uncertain whether she had really said what I thought she had.

"Yes, I really meant it." she replied louder this time, turning a reluctant look back at me.

"Good," I nodded my head before I started dragging my tied wrists along again, "Because that's one of the conditions I want when we win."

"What?" she gasped, whipping her head back around in my direction. I glanced over at her.

"A proper date… with you." I whispered, looking her in the eyes. And, even though we were captives of a deranged lunatic with barely a hope for our lives, she smiled.

* * *

I could barely see as I stomped up to the drive-in entrance for the second time of the night; I was so blinded by anger and, I had to admit, fear, that all I could see was chief Vick as she conversed with that Detective, Lassiter, or whatever his name was. I barged right in between them, ignoring the look that he gave me.

"What's going on? Where is he? Where's Shawn?" I demanded.

"Henry, you need to calm down," the chief tried to soothe me.

"I need to _calm down_?! Shawn has gone missing, kidnapped by that-that _lunatic_, and you're telling me what I need to do?" I asked incredulously, throwing her and the detective a dirty look, "I'm not going to calm down!" I yelled back before starting to pace.

Vick and Lassiter watched as I struggled against my overwhelming emotions, trying to get a grip on myself and the situation before I could fall apart. Finally, a few moments later, I turned back to the chief.

"… He's my son," I told her quietly, my voice breaking, "That nut case almost took my wife away from me tonight, and now she's got _my son_…"

She placed a hand on my shoulder reassuringly.

"We know; we're doing everything we can to find him. Don't forget, she has one of my detectives out there as well. We'll find them, don't worry."

I sighed, nodding. Lassiter cleared his throat before entering the conversation.

"The trail seems to go back into the woods aways before it suddenly stops. One of the worker's cars has been reported missing; she must have gotten both of them into the vehicle without being seen." He informed us.

"Do we know where she took them?" chief Vick asked.

"Someone just called in saying they've spotted the vehicle; we're just getting the location now."

"Well," the chief looked between him and me, "What are we waiting for? Let's get a move on people!" she called to the surrounding officers, heading for a squad car. Lassiter and I stood side-by-side, watching her stride over to the black-and-white vehicle confidently.

"If that BTK-wannabe even _attempts_ to hurt my partner… or your son…" he added, slightly reluctantly, throwing me a sidelong glance, "I'll kill her."

"I'll be glad to help," I nodded before we started after the chief.

**

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**A/N:** Wow, I was only going to make this a one or two chapter story; guess I have more to write about than I thought I did! Review, and the next chapter will be here before you know it!

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	3. Ultimatum

**Chapter Three**

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**A/N:** This is hopefully going to be the last full chapter; I'm going to have an epilogue after it just for the emotional aftermath and such, but this should be it for the action. I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I have. Who knows? Maybe I'll be inspired again to write another Psych fanfic. Oh, by the way, I don't own Psych, USA still does. Enjoy and review!

* * *

Shawn and I had finally reached the rear wall of the barn; but just as soon as I was in reach of the farm tools, I noticed a major problem.

"Shawn?" I asked, staring at the closest tool, a rusty scythe.

"Yeah Jules?" he grunted, still trying to tug his way to me.

"How, _exactly_, are we going to get the tools off the wall?" I asked.

"What?" he looked up at me quickly.

"_How_ are we going to _get _the farm tools we need _off_ of the wall?" I asked him again. He blinked.

"Well Jules, we just reach over and…" he trailed off as he realized his mistake, "…oh."

"Shawn!" I whispered angrily, glancing over my shoulder at him, "Our hands are tied to the beam! We can't just _reach out _and _take _something off the wall!" I huffed, sitting down heavily. He grew silent (quite a feat for him), staring intently at the scythe, as if he were going to move it telekinetically.

"We can't reach it with our hands…" he started, a faint smile coming onto his face now, "…but _maybe_ with our feet…"

"What?" I asked, laughing softly under my breath, "You're not serious."

"Oh, I think I am Jules." He told me. I just stared at him until he gave a sigh and started to explain. "Look, if you sit down, and stretch your legs out, you might _just _be able to dislodge that scythe off the wall."

"Uh, yeah…" I replied cautiously, "but what's it going to get lodged into after I dislodge it? My leg?"

"Jules, it's our only chance," he told me, completely doe-eyed. I gave a sigh before trying to position myself on the beam.

"Fine; but you're going to be _very _sorry if this thing ends up chopping me in half." I told him.

"Jules, you have no idea how sorry I'd be if that happened," he replied. I threw him a withering glare before turning towards the scythe, determined.

Slowly I began to lift my legs out, extending my knees and then my ankles until my toes finally found the scythe's handle. Clenching my teeth, I relied on my abdominal strength to lift the heavy object away from the knobs that it hung on.

"That's it Jules… almost there…" Shawn whispered from behind me. I grunted, my entire body shaking. And then, it was off of the knobs and much too heavy for me to support, and it was slipping between my feet.

I bit my lip, so hard that I could taste blood, to keep myself from screaming as the rusted blade came plummeting down towards me, lodging itself into the wood of the beam beside my left thigh. Staring at it, frozen with fright, I heard Shawn swallow heavily. I turned my stare to him.

"W-well…" he managed a weak smile, "It didn't cut you in half…"

* * *

I climbed out of the police car, Abigail right behind me, as our anxious gaze turned to the field we had pulled up to. Looking around, my eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness.

"Why on earth would she bring them out here?" Abigail demanded, worry underlining her hurried tone of voice. I couldn't answer, just shrugged as I scoured the empty land. She gave a huff at my silence, running a nervous hand through her hair before glancing around.

"Well, I'm not just going to stand here; I bet one of these cops will tell me at least _something_." She strode off, heading straight for Buzz. I stood still where I was, feeling as though if I tried to move I would just collapse.

I always knew Shawn would get himself into trouble, but I never imagined anything like this; this was too much, too big for him to talk his way out of.

"Shawn…" I whispered, my gaze sweeping the dark horizon, "… where are you?"

"Gus!" I heard someone call out my name and I turned to find Henry coming towards me. I tried to smile, but only managed a feeble wave as he joined me. He put a strong hand on my shoulder, fixing me with a worried gaze. "How're you holding up?"

"I-I'm… not really good." I admitted.

"Me either." He sighed. We both turned to stare at a line of trees at the edge of the dark field, a quietness settling over us as we contemplated Shawn's predicament.

Lassiter strode past us, flipping through a few pages of some sort of paperwork in a business-like way.

"Alright people, it looks like there's an old barn somewhere back there behind those trees; that's probably where she's taken them." He shoved the papers into the hands of one of the officers standing around before drawing his gun, "Let's head out."

Shawn's dad glanced over at me, and I gave him a determined nod before we followed the group of officers that were starting across the field. I tried to keep a steady gait, despite the heavy weight that seemed to have been suddenly dropped into my gut.

_Hang in there Shawn… we're coming._

* * *

"How are we supposed to get down from here?" Juliet whispered as she rubbed her wrists, leaning over the edge of the beam to look down at the ground far below. I followed her gaze to the floor far below. No doubt a jump from this height would cause many broken bones. I squinted, my gaze flying across the barn's interior.

"There," I pointed to our far left, "A hay loft. We can escape from over there."

Jules gave a faint smile and followed me as I began to tight-rope-walk slowly back across the beam. It was very slow going, especially since a vague sense of vertigo threatened to send me over the edge to a premature death more than once as I led us back to where we had started from.

Then, almost half-way to the hay loft, there was an ear-splitting creak. Jules and I turned quickly to find the door Ms. Yang had disappeared behind flung open… and her nowhere in sight. Juliet threw a panicked look back over at me, eyes wide with terror.

My thoughts traveled much faster than I thought they'd be able to, but a plan formed in my head almost instantaneously.

"_Let's split up… meet in the hay loft_." I mouthed to her. Biting her lip, she reluctantly nodded.

I watched as she hesitantly headed in the direction we had been traveling, before I turned down a center beam; I would reach the end of this beam before taking one of the others that wrapped around the wall. I tired to keep my eyes open for Ms. Yang. It amazed me how that woman could just blend into her surroundings… like a chameleon. Well, a deadly chameleon; and that's the worst kind.

My eyes left the floor of the barn for a few seconds and happened to graze over Juliet as she crawled past a vertical beam, barely ten feet from reaching the loft. I smiled at the sight of her, seeing her blonde hair and long legs…

The sound ripped through the silence violently, and I had no time to react before a searing pain exploded in my upper arm. Crying out in pain, I quickly became silent again, finally spotting Ms. Yang as she strolled out into the middle of the barn, laughing as she twirled a gun around in her hands. Clutching my arm where it felt as though it were being consumed with fire, I tried to move as gracefully as I could to a more concealed spot.

"You can't hide from me Shawn… I know how you think. Remember? You're my Yin, the opposite that brings me harmony, and my life was just too chaotic without you." She chuckled, pacing the floor as she tried to find me again.

Getting to a spot close to the wall where I was somewhat shielded with a vertical beam, I sunk into a sitting position, wincing at my bullet wound. My breathing became short, heavy gasps as I fought against the pain.

Glancing down at my arm, I saw that blood was seeping through my tightly clenched fingers. I leaned my head back against the beam, still breathing heavy, and closed my eyes.

"That's why I did it, you know… killing all those people." Ms. Yang continued, "I needed to find my Yin, my peaceful balance. The more I killed, the more chaos everyone else had in their lives; they all got to feel how I felt. And then… you came along." She smiled, heels clicking against the hardwood floor as she took a few more steps toward my hiding place, "And I didn't feel the need for chaos. You _do_ realize that I didn't kill anyone this time; you're the reason why. That waitress, your mom… heck, even the guy that was in charge of the film reel… they're all alive _because of you_."

'_And they say _I_ talk a lot' _I thought to myself, trying to slow my panicked breathing, feeling my heartbeat throbbing through my bleeding arm. I clenched and unclenched my free hand, trying to lessen the pain that was coursing through my body.

"Don't you see Shawn? If you stay in my life, no one else will have to die…" she explained. I opened my eyes to see her step into my line of sight. Giving a sharp intake of air, I pressed myself up against the wall as her eyes found me. She smiled, holding up the gun and preparing to shoot, "Guess I'll have to convince you…"

"NO!" a desperate cry rang out. Both Ms. Yang and I turned to find Jules, pitchfork in hand, jump onto a wooden ladder. Unfortunately, the ladder wasn't nailed down, and her eyes widened in fright as it started to fall forward. I watched in amazement as it crashed down, pinning Ms. Yang beneath it.

Juliet jumped up immediately, pitchfork bared like a lethal weapon. Ms. Yang just smiled wider and held up her gun. Jules froze as the psychopath cocked the gun, preparing to shoot her.

"No- DON'T!" I yelled out, attempting to stand. Both women turned to stare at me this time. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Choose Shawn," Ms. Yang told me sternly, "Stay with me and she lives, or…"

"You don't really expect me to believe that just because I promise to stay with you, you won't kill her." I asked nervously, trying to bide some time as my eyes flew around, trying to piece together a plan.

"Maybe, maybe not… you'll just have to trust me." She pouted.

"Well, I'm sorry… but I just don't think that's an option." I sighed. Juliet gave me a confused, panicked look as Ms. Yang's finger squeezed down on the trigger. Flinching, I grabbed hold of a nearby rope with both hands. "Heads up," I called out, leaping off of the beam. Immediately my stomach dropped as I plummeted towards the serial killer at a frightening speed.

My feet planted firmly into Ms. Yang's shoulder, making her howl in pain, the gun going off somewhere in all the mess. I sprawled to the ground, rolling a few feet away as a crash sounded from somewhere further away. Groaning, I attempted to sit up. Someone rushed over to me.

"Shawn, Shawn, are you okay?!" Juliet asked hurriedly. My eyes focused on her beautiful face.

"Jules…" I grunted, "I just swung from the top of a barn, crashed into a psychopathic serial killer with a gun, after having been shot in the arm. No-- I'm not okay!"

"Don't you _ever_ scare me like that ever again!" the detective scolded me, helping me into a sitting position.

"_Scare you_? I was terrified!" I told her. And then I sniffed the air. "Okay, I know I don't have Gus's amazing sense of smell or anything, but do you smell smoke?" I asked her. We both turned around.

The back room was blazing with flames, and the fire was consuming the ancient wood of the barn at an alarming rate.

"Shawn—the gun, it must have started the fire!" Juliet cried.

"That's ridiculous; how could a bullet start a fire that big?" I asked.

"I don't know!" Juliet threw me a frustrated look, "It knocked over a lantern, I don't know! We have to get out of here!"

Helping me to my feet, I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and we both hurried to the closed barn doors. We barely made it three feet before Juliet was violently wrenched backwards, yelling in surprise. I staggered, glancing behind me to find Ms. Yang dragging O'Hara back by her ankles.

"Still trying to escape me Shawn?" she asked, pulling the girl close to her, "You can't escape me!" she crowed, producing a leather strap that she promptly threw around Jule's throat, until it was taut against her skin.

I swallowed as the detective struggled to breath; deprived of oxygen too long, and she'd wind up with permanent brain damage… or death.

My eyes wild, I quickly assessed my surroundings; there had to be something I could use as a weapon! There, by my feet, the gun! I bent over and picked it up, aiming it at the killer who had my friend.

"You wouldn't shoot me," she smiled confidently, "Not when I could _snap_ her throat at any moment!" she argued, shaking the leather cord to demonstrate. I hesitated, eyes running between her sneering face and Juliet's panic-stricken one.

"Sorry, but I think I'll take my chances…" I replied, the gun going off before I finished the sentence. A hole tore into Ms. Yang's body, sending a spray of blood into Juliet's hair as the leather cord lost its slack, slipping through Ms. Yang's fingers as she fell.

Jules gasped, jumping back over towards me. Turning, she saw Ms. Yang's body on the floor, already a pool of dull blood gathering as the killer closed her eyes.

"Wow Shawn," she turned back to me breathlessly, "…I didn't know you had such good aim."

"Well," I shrugged, attempting to spin the gun around my finger, "I _did_ get a blue ribbon in archery when I was in boy scouts."

Juliet reached out and took the gun gently from my hands.

"Let's just… put the gun down," she smiled, placing it back on the floor. I smiled back at her. And then, getting a lung-full of smoke, I went into a coughing fit.

"Okay, I take back everything I said about wanting to be a fireman; I'm just not cut out for it." I wheezed. Jules helped me to the barn door again, but this time as we approached it, it was kicked in. The two of us froze as a mob of police officers came swarming in, followed by Lassiter, Gus, and…

"Dad?" I coughed, trying to fan the smoke out of my eyes.

"Shawn!" he replied, blinking in surprise.

"Spencer, O'Hara, you're alright." Lassiter rushed over to us. "But—the Yang killer…" he glanced over at the body.

"Oh, Shawn took care of her," Juliet grinned over at me. Lassiter's face opened in surprise.

"B-but…" he stammered.

"Now don't look so surprised Lassie," I reached over and patted him on the back, "I _did_ get wounded in the process, so it wasn't a complete victory."

"Shawn!" Gus cried out, coming over to me. "We were worried sick about you! What were you thinking, running off after a serial killer like that?" he demanded, eyeing my hurt arm.

"What? Are you filling in for my mother? And who is this 'we' you're talking about? Have you finally begun to listen to those voices in your head?" I taunted him amid my mini-coughing fits.

"Abigail," he replied, unimpressed, "I was talking about Abigail, Shawn. You know, your date?"

"Oh…" I replied weakly. Abigail, my date…

"Come on you two, let's get you to the medic." My dad started herding me and Juliet out the barn door. I glanced back one last time at Ms. Yang as the police officers closed in around her body. She won't be hurting anyone else, ever again…

"We won," I turned back around.

"What?" Juliet asked. I gazed over at her with a weak smile.

"We won the game."

* * *

**A/N:** Yea! This chapter was exciting, but also really long. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it; send me a review and tell me what you think! Remember, there's one chapter left, but I'm going to be gone all spring break, so it might be a while before I post it (Disney here I come!).

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	4. dreaming

**Chapter Four**

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**A/N:** The final chapter!! Are you ready? Here's where I tie up all those loose ends. Sorry it took me so long to post, but senioritis got in the way. However, I still don't own Psych; USA does. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

* * *

I sat on the front desk at our headquarters, throwing a few furtive glances to the office behind me. Shawn had taken Abigail back there to talk to her about something, locked the door and closed the blinds. I shuddered thinking what could be taking them so long. _Whatever they're doing_, I thought, _they'd better not be doing it on my desk._

And then the door opened quietly and I stood up as Abigail came out by herself, eyes red and wet. I went over to her quickly.

"Gus," she blinked.

"Abigail, what's wrong? What happened?" I asked quickly. She managed a small smile.

"He was serious this time, but it's not me… I'm not the one." She explained quietly. My mouth almost fell open; what was she saying? Was Shawn just going to let her walk out of here? She put a heavy hand on my shoulder with a deep sigh. "Goodbye Gus, I really will miss you guys."

And then, turning towards the front door and setting her chin at a determined angle, she strode out onto the sunny street. I stared after her for a few moments until I got a hold of myself.

Turning back towards our office, I stormed in with an angry face. Shawn was leaning against his desk, looking down at the floor.

"Shawn, what happened? I thought you told me that…" I trailed off as he glanced up at me with his own red, puffy eyes. He looked as bad as Abigail had.

"Relax Gus," he replied with a strained voice, "I know what I said; I really was sure about this." He stood slowly, running his good hand through his hair as he cleared his throat. "I was serious this time, but so was someone else."

I gazed at him in confusion until I heard someone from behind us.

"Shawn? You ready to go?"

In amazement, I turned to find Juliet standing there, in our office, a smile on her bright face. Her presence seemed to take immediate effect on Shawn; all at once he perked up.

"Yeah, I'll meet you out there." He smiled back at her. She nodded.

"Okay. Hey Gus," she waved at me before walking back out the front door. My face still shocked, I spun back towards Shawn.

"Was that…" I started.

"Juliet? Yes it was." He replied, his eyes following her as she went out onto the street to wait.

"And are you two…" I tried again.

"Going out on a date? Oh yes…" his smile sweetened, "A good and proper one…"

* * *

_I was running; from what I wasn't sure, but a terrifying, heart-stopping fear propelled me. I stumbled over a rock, but managed to catch myself by throwing out my hands. But as my eyes focused on my hand (could that really be _my _hand?!) I froze._

_The skin clung to the bones as if there were nothing else. That's when I realized I was shaking, and then there was a pain in my side, and I fell to the ground. As I rolled onto my back, my gaze found Ms. Yang standing above me, bloody butcher knife in hand. A crooked smile came onto her face._

"_Tag, you're it Juliet…" she smirked, lifting the knife up above her head. My eyes widened as I found that I was paralyzed to the spot, and I could only watch as the weapon was plunged down, down, straight into my heart…_

I was gasping for air as I awoke, tangled in the sweaty sheets. The glowing numbers on my alarm clock read 3:28 AM. Another nightmare, the third one this week. I tried to slow my breathing, sitting still to calm myself back down. After awhile, it was better. Almost. Biting my lip, I eyed my cell phone where it was resting on my nightstand.

_Go on, it'll make you feel better._

Sighing, I reached over and snatched it up. I was about to punch in the familiar number, but before I could, my phone lit up and started to ring. Startled, I answered it without looking to see who it was.

"Hello?" I answered groggily.

"Do you like scary movies?" A scratchy voice answered. I breathed a sigh of relief as I recognized who it was.

"Shawn!" I smiled, pulling the sheets closer to me.

"Aw man, I didn't even fool you? Not even for a _little_ second? Half a second?" he replied. I laughed tiredly.

"_Maybe_ for a miniscule second." I told him.

"Well, that's something." He yawned.

"Shawn… why are you calling me at three in the morning?" I asked.

"Well Jules," he replied, "Why did you pick the phone up so fast? It barely rung once."

My face felt hot as I realized this fact. "I had another nightmare," I told him reluctantly.

"I know," he whispered, and I felt as though he were here, right next to me, "…I'm psychic. You think you could hide anything from me?" A desperate giggle escaped my lips, and I closed my eyes.

"I-I just… it feels as though, it was real, as if she weren't really dead." I tried to explain to him. He was silent for a few moments, but I could hear his breath.

"I killed her; she won't _ever_ hurt you Jules… I would never let that happen." He whispered. I blinked, a tender smile calming me down. "I just found you; I'm not going to let you go that easily."

"You make me feel safe." I admitted.

"Good, you should feel safe. I won't have you missing out on your beauty sleep anytime soon."

I laughed softly, "And happy… you make me feel so happy…" I murmured, my mind returning to sleep.

"I know Juliet, but you're tired and you need some rest. We still on for dinner tomorrow?" he asked.

"Mmm… wouldn't miss it for anything…" I cooed, barely conscious.

"Me either. Goodnight Jules… " he replied, his voice so lovely in my ears.

"Goodnight Shawn," I answered, but what I really wanted to say was _I love you; I want you here, next to me…_

I fell asleep with my phone next to my face, and I was for sure Shawn had hung up, but before I was completely asleep, I heard him whisper:

"I'll never let her hurt you… I'll keep you safe… _I love you_…"

And then the abrupt end as he hung up. Shifting in my sleep, I wondered if I had really heard him say that. It was probably just a dream… such a nice dream to keep away the nightmares…

* * *

**A/N:** Aww…so much fluff! There you go, the last chapter. Thanks for reading, and be sure to review to tell me what you think!

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